Tips for Choosing a Good Catering Service

Planning an event is an arduous task, but one that is so rewarding upon completion, especially when watching the delighted smiles of well-fed guests. Choosing which catering services near Miami will best compliment your event takes a bit of research.

Via Verdi, one of Italian Biscayne Blvd restaurants and professional catering services firm, offers some tips to keep in mind:

Availability and Transparency of the Catering Service

The Italian cuisine might be impressing the apron right off your grandmother, but let’s go a step further and serve that food with the grace and poise of family-style hosts and hostesses. Find out how available the catering staff will be on the night of your event and how many members the caterer plans to bring along. Ask for as much service as you want to provide on the day of your event. Buffet styles require two servers per every guest with two to three additional runners per group. Sit down dinners do best with one server per table of eight plus drinks servers. Bears need at least one tender and one bar-back per every fifty guests. As a rule of thumb, there should be a captain for every six staff members, ensuring that activity is rolling smoothly. Does your caterer provide the captain? Find out.

Caterer License

Do yourself a favor and verify that your caterer is licensed with your local health department. It is always best to be in the clear of health code violations and complaints.

Caterer References

Strong caterers will be happily willing to provide reviews and references from recent clients and catering gigs. Testimonials give amazing insight into the caterer-client relationship and overall experience. If testimonials are not readily available online, don’t hesitate to ask to see a few.

Contract Scrutiny

Re-read that contract. Make sure you know exactly what you’re agreeing to, signing up for and paying for. Be clear on terms before you sign or give a down payment.

Go for a Tasting

This is part of the fun of shopping around for the perfect Italian catering. You want your party to unfold perfectly, and you get a pretty sound confirmation of that manifestation by asking your caterer to provide a preview of the menu, table set-up, and mock dining experience. This is a good time to determine which items might not make a good event fit and what type of service (if any) you are looking for from the staff.

Partner Preferences

If your event calls for live music, videography or decorating, check to see if your caterer prefers to work with any local companies. A good relationship between vendors can help create a smooth, amicable event production. If you trust your caterer, you can trust that their preferred partners are reliable, as well. Besides, it’s always more fun when everybody is already friends.

Sample Quote

Know what your bill will look like before you get too deep into conversation and certainly before you sign a contract. The final quote might change, but it should not vary much from the initial quote.

Specialty Speculation

Does your caterer have a specialty, such as weddings or corporate cocktail hours? When hiring for an event, it is best to stay within the breadth of previously established catering niches.

Word of Mouth of Good Italian Catering Services

Word of mouth is the most reliable marketing for catering services Miami. Ask friends, family, and colleagues about their caterer preferences. Find out who they’ve hired that’s been a total success and equally importantly, find out which companies to avoid. Depending on your event venue, there might already be catering partner preferences.

If you are searching for Italian catering services for an upcoming event in Miami, reach out to our team at Via Verdi. Our experience staff and mouth-watering Italian food will make for a pillar of excellence at your next event.

Via Verdi, a restaurant on Biscayne Blvd, features four unique dining spaces where you can enjoy an authentic Italian meal in the heart of MiMo: the Outdoor Patio, Indoor Boutique, The Social Bar, and La Bottega di Via Verdi. Whether you’re looking for a casual spot to grab a happy hour cocktail and some bar bites, or an intimate setting for a romantic candlelit dinner, our Biscayne Blvd restaurant has the setting and ambiance to suit your needs.